LINGUINE con Vongole

Serves 6 to 8

This classic pasta dish from Naples is often served at Christmas as a course for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Easy as can be, the recipe calls for simply steaming the clams in wine with garlic and red pepper flakes. The juices from the clams flavor the broth-like sauce. As is always the case with seafood, the fresher the clams, the more delicious this dish will be. Manila or littleneck clams are good choices for this dish, but any smaller fresh clam will work.

1 pound linguine

¼ cup olive oil

5 garlic cloves, slivered

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2½ pounds fresh clams, scrubbed

Sea salt

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the clams and cover the pan. Cook until the clams open and release their juices, 4 to 6 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open.

Add the drained linguine to the skillet and toss to coat the pasta with the clam juices.

Season with salt to taste. Toss with the parsley and serve with a few grinds of black pepper.